


brittle heart

by wewillalwaysenduphere



Category: The Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, F/F, Jealous Harrowhark, Possessiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26051668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wewillalwaysenduphere/pseuds/wewillalwaysenduphere
Summary: Dulcinea Septimus was dancing along the chasm that divided life and death, and it was an exhilarating, wondrous place to be in. She was alive enough to take action, and close enough to death she did not have to worry about the consequences.
Relationships: Gideon Nav/Dulcinea Septimus
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	brittle heart

**Author's Note:**

> I'm only halfway through the book but these two just go so well together. I will ignore any het ship trying to steal Dulcinea away :D

Dulcinea Septimus was dancing along the chasm that divided life and death, and it was an exhilarating, wondrous place to be in. She was alive enough to take action, and close enough to death she did not have to worry about the consequences.

She had made her way to the House of Canaan in hopes of avoiding death, of becoming Lyctor and gaining immortality, but the competition was fierce. Her failing body may not let her achieve her goals, no matter how much her mind would scream and throw itself against the shackles of her flesh.

Gideon the Ninth provided a very welcome, very pleasant distraction. Gideon could not deny her wishes for help and little favours, and Dulcinea enjoyed solving the riddle the cavalier primary of the Ninth House posed. After their first meeting, she knew that Gideon had probably not grown up a cavalier. Was probably used to a sword wielded with both hands.

But she did not sell her out. To whom? For what gain? Dulcinea needed friends, not enemies. And while the Lady Harrowhark was gone, Dulcinea spent her time getting to know her cavalier. Gideon’s vow of silence was less of an impediment than she thought it would be. Even beneath the striking face paint, Gideon was very expressive, and Dulcinea good at reading people.

She could see Gideon’s eyes follow the lines of her dress, that spark of interest in dark eyes. She should not indulge it. But she doubted there would be a price to be paid. Harrowhark had left her cavalier behind to go hunt down keys alone, and Dulcinea was only offering.

She did enjoy Gideon’s hands resting on her innominate bone, her lips pressing kisses just below her navel. Necromancers were very often skinny – their body paid the price for their abilities. Dulcinea, well on her way to the other side of the river, was skinnier than most. Gideon’s well-trained hands could break her if she so choose, but the cavalier primary of the Ninth was hers to command during those tender hours. Gideon would trace the lines of blue where her veins shone through skin as pale as paper.

Dulcinea’s heart ached when Gideon screamed herself raw while Harrowhark syphoned her life force to complete another trial. With the cavalier’s head on her thigh she wondered when this had stopped being a fun pastime and had become genuine. Not love, Dulcinea was sure it was not love, but it was fondness and protectiveness and the wish that Gideon may survive. She was crying blood, coughing up blood, and Dulcinea was too familiar with the bitter taste of iron not to feel sympathy.

Had Gideon wanted, she could have severed the connection between her and Harrowhark. The necromancer would have died a quick, gruesome death in the field of senescence and entropy. Had it been up to Dulcinea to choose, she would have preferred Harrowhark dead and Gideon alive, but it was usually the cavalier who died first.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus had never seemed to care about her cavalier, but when she saw Dulcinea taking care of Gideon, something snapped. Dulcinea was a very intelligent woman. She used to think there was nothing to lose, no price to be paid for having her eye on Gideon, but now she knew that wasn’t true. Now she knew that despite whatever Harrowhark may pretend to feel or not, she did claim her cavalier for herself or at least did not want anyone else to have something that should have been hers by right.

Dulcinea cared little. Death had been her companion from a young age, and she did not fear it. The jealousy of the Lady of the Ninth House made it sweeter the next time Gideon visited her in the open area of the terraced garden she had claimed for herself. The first time, Gideon had told her they shouldn’t be doing this out in the open. But the building was huge, and no one was around. Besides, Dulcinea loved the sun on her skin. Loved how she glowed under it, sharp and white, almost like snow. At first, Gideon had needed her sunglasses to even look at her. It had made Dulcinea feel powerful, as if she were too bright to look at, as if she were the sun.

Slowly, she shrugged off the dress she was wearing, let Gideon pull it down until she was laying naked in front of her. Allowed fingers calloused from years of practicing to touch her soft, milky skin. Sighed when Gideon found the most tender spots of her breakable body and chose to be gentle with all of them. Her clavicles rose sharply from her skin, and Gideon’s teeth gently nibbled along them. Dulcinea’s own hands slowly undressed her, black robes and layers and layers of grey and dark fabric. The Ninth never missed a chance to shroud itself, even if it was in the most literal, basic sense.

Dulcinea moaned faintly when fingers made their way between her legs, when Gideon’s ever hungry mouth descended on her breasts. She had never been a hungry creature, but something about this made her ravenous. Gideon was so obedient, so willing to die for her necromancer, so willing to please Dulcinea. She could be shaped into something wonderful, something perfect and useful and dangerous if only Dulcinea had the time, if only Gideon were officially hers.

She grasped the hair of Gideon and pushed her down between her legs, demanding although her strength was barely a quarter of Gideon’s, if that. Still, the cavalier obeyed wordlessly, gladly. A vow of silence. Perfect obedience. Dulcinea didn’t know if it was that or Gideon’s tongue that made her mouth fall open with a wordless cry.

Dulcinea’s eyes had been closed, but her instincts told her someone was close – and when she opened them, she could just make out the figure of Harrowhark Nonagesimus watching them from the other end of the garden. Her fingers tightened in Gideon’s hair. She wrapped her legs around her back so she couldn’t come up. Not that Gideon couldn’t have overpowered her now, but as usual she chose to obey.

Dulcinea smiled at Harrowhark. She knew the other woman would be able to see it. She knew that Harrowhark would be mad with anger. But that was not Dulcinea’s problem. She had what she wanted. She would keep getting what she wanted. Harrowhark had pushed her cavalier away through years of cruelty, and now Dulcinea only had to give the faintest hint of gentleness with her orders and Gideon fell over herself to comply. Yes, Gideon was bound to the Ninth House. But allegiances could change.

Harrowhark disappeared when Dulcinea came the second time, and Dulcinea delighted in the fact that she had been forced, by nothing but her own stubbornness, to watch. Afterwards, when Gideon was resting beside her, she placed her head on her chest, letting curled fawn-coloured hair spill over Gideon’s breasts and stomach.

“I don’t want to die,” Dulcinea said, innocent and small and breathtakingly beautiful, naked as she was, gleaming in the sun.

“I will protect you,” Gideon replied, seemingly without thinking, and Dulcinea smiled and kissed her.

She hadn’t lied. She wanted to live. She wanted Gideon by her side. But she also wanted to be Lyctor, and powerful, and in control. She wanted Gideon, the power and strength of her, her skills with the sword, and she wanted Gideon in her bed.

Dulcinea would be a better Lady to serve under than Harrowhark Nonagesimus. She would be merciful and kind. Gideon should be hers. And Dulcinea Septimus did not fear the consequences of what she had to do to get her.


End file.
